Taking a look at Vitamin D
Vitamin D research and studies are fairly new, only really being conducted in the last 5-8 years but with surprising results on how much we rely on Vitamin D for health.
Natural Vitamin D is sourced mostly from the sun and is best absorbed when the skin has it's natural oils rather then freshly cleaned, as vitamin D is an oil based Vitamin and needs the oils for absorption.
We can also obtain natural vitamin D from some plants such as portabella mushrooms (grown in ultraviolet light) and fish.
There are certain circumstances that effect the absorption of Vitamin D from the sun. This includes sunscreen and going for a swim in the ocean or bathing before going out into the sun. Of course sunscreen cant always be avoided as sun protection is also important.
Vitamin D in dairy is also not beneficial for those who have a dairy intolerance or are vegan.
Most Australians are deficient in Vitamin D and studies have shown links between low Vitamin D levels and Respiratory infections.
Vitamin D is an important factor in the absorption of calcium into the bones preventing rickets in children.
Children require:
Children aged 1 year to 12 years require 400-600IU of Vitamin D daily
Good source of Vitamin D include:
Cod liver oil 1tsp 450IU - may vary between brands
Fish Rainbow trout 79g (one fillet ) - 500IU all fish contains Vitamin D
portabella mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light and gilled -493IU, grown normally only 12IU
All mushrooms contain a small amount of Vitamin D around 7IU to 24IU
One large egg 218IU (raw) cooked you will have lost some of that Vitamin D.
Sun - This will depend on your skin type and what time of the year it is, It is recommended by sun smart that when the UV raise is low below 3 not to apply sunscreen and expose skin to the sun for short period of time.
Little Munchkins contains 100IU of Vitamin D in every serve to help with the absorption of Calcium and increase immunity. We recently converted the Vitamin D to a plant based D vitamin.